In an indoor fire hydrant apparatus of the prior art, a hose is hung on a hanger and a switch for starting a pump is positioned near the hanger and hose. When the switch is actuated, water at a relatively high pressure is pumped into the hose through a discharge valve. This system requires two persons in order for the hose to he put in a fire-fighting position at the earliest possible moment. One person removes the hose from the hanger and deploys the nozzle end of the hose in the fire-fighting position. After this is accomplished, the second person actuates the switch to start the pump and manually opens the discharge valve whereby water is pumped into the hose.
If the person opening the discharge valve should do so before the other person has fully deployed the hose, the water applied under pressure causes the hose to fill out and jump because of folds in the hose. This makes it difficult to deploy the hose and increases the deployment time thus delaying application of water to the fire.
A single person attempting to use the apparatus is faced with a problem. If he actuates the pump switch and opens the discharge valve before he fully deploys the hose, the pressurized water makes it difficult to handle the hose, thus increasing the time required to get the hose into a fire-fighting position. On the other hand, if he first deploys the hose then he must lay down the nozzle end of the hose and go back to actuate the switch and open the discharge valve. He must then return to the nozzle end of the hose to begin the fire-fighting activity.